Necessity of a Date
by lizardcookie
Summary: In which Lily Evans resents a certain village, James gives a brief on the Potter line, and Lily realizes that this may be one of the few times she is very wrong about something.


"Stupid blokes and stupid villages and stupid _everything_," Lily muttered, making her way through the back of the library in hunt of the book Flitwick had recommended for their essay. At least, that's what she had told James back at their library table. In actuality, Lily just needed to walk away from the boy, because sitting across from him was making her go mad.

The first Hogsmeade trip of the year was coming up, and no one had asked Lily. Not one awkward Ravenclaw or pushy Hufflepuff or any other Gryffindor… including James. And it bothered Lily to no end. Why? She couldn't exactly say. And that bothered Lily to no end.

It wasn't as if she needed someone to ask her out. No, Lily Evans was a strong, independent witch who could very get along without a date, but still, this had never really happened before. At the very least, she'd always had an offer from James, and this lack of one was new and she didn't like it. Lily huffed and picked a book at random from the top shelve, preparing for her trip back to the table where she would have to sit across from James and be bombarded by all those confusing feelings she got whenever he smiled or tapped his foot or even when he ran his fingers through his hair. And though this was the first time James hadn't asked Lily, this was the first time she would have said yes. Because as confused as she was by him at the moment, Lily knew that she would love to spend the day with James outside of the library or patrols. She knew that maybe, just maybe, all these new confusing feelings meant that the impossible had finally happened. That maybe, just maybe, she fancied James Potter. If only he'd ask her to Hogsmeade, then she wouldn't be simply speculating on all this.

But who needed to date, anyway? It wasn't the first time these thoughts had occurred to Lily, who had always been a sensible, though popular, girl. It one of the reasons why she turned done James so many times before— she'd agree to a date, but not to _dating._ There were much more important things, N.E.W.T.'s and job applications and worrying about the war, and a list of other more valuable things. That is what Lily told herself as she trekked back to the study table where her essay and other things (James) waited. He didn't look up when she sat down, his brow furrowed in concentration as his quill sped across the parchment of his already half-finished essay, and Lily shot his foot and a half of work a dark look as she brought hers closer to her in order to finish it.

That is, she _would _finish her essay if not for the fact her brain thought it was a good idea to constantly play a sound that suspiciously resembled James' jovial laughter and flash the word "Hogsmeade! Hogsmeade!" across her mind. Honesty, she was going insane because of a silly trip to the village.

"What's the point of dating at this age, anyway?" Lily finally asked aloud, throwing her quill down in frustration. James looked up from his place across the table.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Why does it even matter? Isn't the purpose of dating to find the person you'll marry?" Lily was on a roll, spilling everything that she had on her mind. "I mean, yeah there's perks of possible sex and what not, but you don't even really have to be dating for even _that._" James continued to stare at his partner, who had evidently lost her mind on the way back from the Charms section. "I'm just saying," finished Lily, "that there's really no use for it at this point. We're not going to find our soul mates based off a trip to Honeydukes. We're only seventeen for Merlin's sake, we've got the rest of our lives for that."

James snorted. "I didn't realize that Kepper's Theory had anything to do with the troubles of teenage romance, Lily."

"I'm being serious." Lily shot James a look. "What do you think?"

He lowered his quill in thought, shooting Lily a curious glance. "Why is this even relevant? Afraid you'll end up an old maid because no one's asked you to Hogsmeade this weekend? I assure you, Lily Evans, there's plenty of blokes who will be more than—"

"But that's my point, James! What does it even matter if a few blokes _would _want to go? What's the point?"

James slowly closed his book, but now didn't look at Lily, who suddenly realized that having this conversation with James when her own feelings for him (and knowing very well of his past feelings for her) were so muddled at the moment. He finally spoke, and Lily was pleased to see that he was taking this conversation seriously and giving it thought.

"Well, depends on how you're viewing 'dating,'" started James, "because that could encompass a lot of territory."

"Casually going out. Day dates. Long term relationships, anything we're doing here."

"Well then, it's not pointless if you're enjoying yourself."

"It defies the definition of dating! The intrinsic reason!"

"So?"

"I don't want to waste my time having to worry about someone else when I barely know myself, you know what I mean?"

"And deny a normal part of growing up?"

Both James and Lily were in their stride, leaning forward in fervor for their conversation, and Lily relished in it. This is what she loved about the two of them, how once they looked past their old prejudices of one another, they complimented each other well. He was smiling, enjoying this as much as she was.

"Everyone gets so worked up over breaking up with this bloke or that bird, and I just don't get it. You can't expect the relationships here to last forever, can you?" Lily continued.

"And why not?" James quirked an eyebrow at her and now leaned back in his chair, relaxed as ever.

"Because it just doesn't happen. People don't just leave here and marry their Hogwarts sweethearts."

"My parents did." James replied simply, shrugging his shoulders, "At sixteen my dad fell in love with Mum, been together ever since. Same with my grandparents, and the same dumb luck will probably happen to my poor offspring. It's hereditary."

Lily snorted. "That Potter's fall in love at the ripe age of sixteen and stay in love?"

James looked offended. "You're insulting the Potter line itself, Evans. We're proud of this."

"What about you, James? You fit the pattern?" It didn't occur to Lily what exactly she was asking James.

He didn't answer her that. "Look, Lily, all I'm saying is that you're being overly cynical. Who says that just because we're young, we can't really know what love is? What does it matter at which age you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?" James fixed Lily with an intense look as he leaned forward. "It's not unheard of for people our age to be truly, wholly in love."

"It doesn't happen." Lily said quietly, well aware of the fact that she had never seen James more serious than he was at this moment. "It's not that simple."

"Love isn't supposed to be complicated, Evans." James sighed and reopened his book. "It's stubborn people like you who make it more difficult for the rest of us."

With that, both James and Lily fell into a silence and pretended to continue working on their homework, but Lily couldn't think of anything right now but the boy across from the table. Maybe James was right… he often was, more often than Lily would properly admit. He had a valid point. Perhaps she was over analyzing everything, as usual. Perhaps she needed to relax, as usual. And perhaps she needed to stop making things so complicated for the boy sitting across from her, because after six years, hadn't she made his life far more complicated than necessary?

"This is rubbish," sighed James as he moved to clear his space on the table. "I'm far too knackered to write anything of worth. I'll head back to the Common Room, yeah?" And Lily Evans, looking at that tall, gangly, and brilliant boy standing across from her, decided to take his advice.

"Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"What?" James looked down in surprise at the red head.

"Do you want to go with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Lily repeated, looking at James. Because he _was_ right. Maybe soul mates weren't found based off a trip to the candy store, but they were found in any possible situation. They're found after time spent together, time spent laughing and talking and enjoying each other. They're found after years of bickering that turns into actual friendship and dependence. Soul mates are found when you realize you can't imagine life without the other person and you don't _want_ to imagine life without the other. Soul mates are found when the obstinate red head finally warms up to the once-arrogant pounce. So when James grinned at her, bigger than he'd ever grinned before, Lily Evans was proud to say she was a teenager excited for a date.


End file.
